BACKGROUND: A lack of authentic learning opportunities influence the quality of emergency training of nursing students. The purpose of this article is to describe how the step-up action research model was used to improve the quality of trauma-related educational practice of undergraduate nursing students OBJECTIVES: To reduce deaths caused by trauma, healthcare workers should be competent to provide emergency care and collaborate effectively with one another METHOD: A simulated mass casualty incident, structured to support the integration of theory into practice, became a more rigorous action research activity which focused on the quality improvement of the mass casualty incident RESULTS: The results indicated improved student learning; partnership appreciation; improved student coping mechanisms, and increased student exposure. Quality emergency training thus results in better real-life collaboration in emergency contexts CONCLUSION: The step-up action research model proved to be a collaborative and flexible process. To improve the quality and rigour of educational programmes it is therefore recommended that the step-up action research model be routinely used in the execution of educational practices.